We live inside Gaia

The general popular belief is that we live ‘on’ Earth. This belief arises from the assumption that Earth is a not a living organism and we live on the surface. However, if we look at Earth as a living superorganism, it becomes clear that the envelope made of Earth’s atmosphere that gives us the life-giving air is very much part of the living planet. Since we live inside the atmosphere, we are living inside Gaia - completely immersed in Gaia.

The very term ‘environment’ is based on the erroneous idea that the biosphere that surrounds us is something external to the human species. Actually, we are in constant communion with the interconnected activity of the web of life, though most human beings are unaware of it. Instead of being our ‘environment,’ which implies a non-existent separation, the atmosphere and the biosphere of Earth exist as aspects of the body and consciousness of Gaia. Humanity as a species is an inseparable and integral part of it and our very existence depends on the optimum functioning of this interconnected web of life. Any imbalance in any factor of this living web has an impact on human species.

This Gaian web of life, in which we are immersed in, is not only physical, but it is also a collective consciousness. The collective consciousness of humanity is a part of it and the well-being of human species in fact depends on our healthy interaction and communion with the other species and the whole planetary consciousness. Here is a link to an article about the perceptual implications of Gaia by David Abram

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/gaia/esp_gaia10.htm

Abram's article looks at Gaia from a mostly scientific perspective, but it is different from the rigid reductionist mainstream science.